praten

Praten is a Dutch verb meaning to talk or to chat. It is used for casual conversation as well as more specific verbal exchange, and it can describe talking with someone or discussing a topic. The word is commonly used in everyday speech and appears in many fixed phrases, such as met iemand praten (to talk with someone), praten over iets (to talk about something), and een praatje maken (to have a small talk).

In usage, praten can take different constructions. Met iemand praten emphasizes the interaction between people, while over is used to indicate the topic of discussion. Praat often appears in the phrase kunnen praten about options, or laten we praten to suggest a discussion. In informal Dutch, synonyms like kletsen or babbelen may be used, but praten remains a neutral standard term.

Grammatically, praten is a regular weak verb. Present tense forms are ik praat, jij praat, hij praat, wij praten, jullie praten, zij praten. The simple past tense is formed as ik praatte, jij praatte, hij praatte, wij praatten, jullie praatten, zij praatten. The past participle is gepraat, used with hebben: ik heb gepraat. The imperative is praat (jij).

Etymologically, praten derives from Dutch and belongs to the West Germanic language family, with cognates in related Germanic languages. The word is attested in Middle Dutch and remains the standard term for spoken communication in modern Dutch.

See also: praatje, praten over, kletsen.